


Forever Beautiful

by Angel_Baby01



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 00:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13329930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Baby01/pseuds/Angel_Baby01
Summary: Jughead wonders at his new baby daughter. And wonders how she is going to fit into his life. And wonders at how much he loves her.





	Forever Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been circulating in my head forever. And I love the idea of Jughead enjoying his daughter, and bonding with people over it. 
> 
> I hope you guys love this!

Jughead Jones had stood before many things. He had stood Ghoulies, Bulldogs, idiots and his own Father. Most of those things had made him quake. Some things more than others had made him want to collapse and sob like a little girl. But nothing, nothing had prepared him for what he was currently feeling as he sat in the Chapel. 

His cheeks were wet with tears, and a river of snot flowed over his upper lip, and he had no idea how long he’d stood there, crying like a … 

Well, crying like a baby, he supposed. 

Jughead blinked hard, and there were those damned tears again. His throat was raw and his voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming for hours. He wanted to throw things, but his arms felt weak. 

The door opened behind him and soft footsteps moved to where he was sitting. 

“Dude,” Archie said, “are you hiding out in here?” 

“No,” Jughead said, then bowed when Archie folded over his back, his arms cinching Jughead around the waist. “Oh God, Archie. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Betty loved being pregnant so much. It’s not fair.” 

“It happened like it was supposed to happen, and it’s fine now. She’s okay, you know?” 

“Is she?” Jughead asked, and Archie nodded, his cheek pressed up tight to Jughead’s. 

“I told you, man. They always think they’re dying. Why don’t you ever listen to me?” 

“Because you talked me into fighting that bull once, remember?” Jughead replied, and Archie chuckled warmly against his neck. 

“What happens now?” 

“You,” Archie said, “have someone to meet.”

 

First Jughead had to check on Betty. Veronica was sitting with her, brushing her pretty long blonde hair. Her face was tinged with color and her cheeks looked plump again. A much better sight than earlier when she had been pale and bleeding out as she tried desperately to push their daughter into the world. He could see it all so clearly. Betty pushing for hours, not making any progress. The baby’s heart dropping. Being put into scrubs and holding Betty’s hand. Seeing them carve into her stomach. The baby coming out, tinged with blue, the damn cord wrapped around her neck like a noose. Betty starting to hemorrhage, lights flashing, alarms sounding and then Jughead shoved out of the room and made to wait. Until he sought the mercy of God. 

He didn’t realize he was just staring at Betty until Archie grabbed him by the arm and steered him over to the corner of the room where a tiny white bundle was laying in the plastic bassinet. 

Cheryl looked up at him and smiled. She had become (of all things), a pediatrician and leapt on the chance of being the baby’s doctor. She had a stethoscope in her hand and was making notes on a tablet in her hand. When Jughead didn’t move, Archie pushed firmly at the small of his back. His legs felt like week-old Jello, and he had hoped the fear that had made itself so comfortable inside him would have disappeared with Betty’s belly, but it was still there. 

“Well Hobo. You managed, by the grace of god, to create a beautiful baby. She takes after you sadly, but has enough of Betty in her that people won’t find her completely hideous.” 

Jughead had to smile. Even with her cold, dead heart, Cheryl still managed to provide a little warmth in the situation. 

“Thanks Cheryl. I will tell Toni how nice you were today.” 

“Please, my girl knows how big and wonderful my heart is. Among other things.” 

“Ew, Cheryl please, not in front of my daughter.” 

Cheryl rolled her eyes and walked around the small bassinet. In an odd moment of sweetness, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “She is a little underweight, I am sure from lack of oxygen for the past couple of weeks, but she has an appetite, she will pack it on quickly. Don’t let my sweet little cousin become a chubbo, the other babies would never let her live it down. 

He nodded. “Do you think she…will have delays from lack of oxygen? She was blue, and I-” 

Cheryl firmed her lips and shook her head. “She scored a full 10 on the Apgar. If she does have delays, they are minimal. She wasn’t cut off from oxygen, just didn’t get as much as she should have. She is fine.” 

He nodded and turned his gaze to the baby. He stared at her until his eyes felt dried out. When he blinked, she was still there, with her squishy pink face and tuft of jet-black hair. She looked, he thought, a little bit like an alien then felt horrible that the idea had even crossed his mind. 

“You can pick her up,” Cheryl said quietly, “just be careful of her head.” 

“And don’t drop her,” Archie added helpfully. 

Jughead ignored him. His hands were too big to hold something so tiny without crushing it, or that was how it felt. 

“Here,” Cheryl said, sticking the tablet under her arm, and grabbing the little parcel of baby like it was nothing. She delivered her to Jughead’s hands, and he nearly fumbled her like a football before getting her snug in the crook of his arm. She was as light as a bag of feathers. 

“And fuck,” Archie said, “me without my camera. Fatherhood looks good on you, daddy.” 

“Don’t call me daddy,” Jughead murmured, testing her weight, amazed at her warmth. When Cheryl handed him a tiny white hat, Jughead carefully pulled it over her head, one-handed. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. 

 

After Archie, Veronica, and Cheryl left the room, Jughead put her on the bed and sat down in front of her, in the chair, not quite sure what to do now. He didn’t know anything about babies. She was making his job pretty easy by sleeping, but what if she got hungry? 

“Hi,” Jughead said, and felt stupid, suddenly, like someone would hear him and laugh. 

He leaned forward and carefully unwrapped her, wondering what he would do if she didn’t have an arm or feet then realizing it really wouldn’t matter. Somehow, he’d fallen terribly in love with her, even though he’d known her for about four minutes. She was wonderful. 

“Ten fingers,” Jughead said, holding her hands between his fingers and his thumbs, counting twice just to make sure, “and ten toes.” Her feet were the most adorable feet he’d ever seen, tiny and curled, and he softly kissed each one on the sole. 

When he looked up, her eyes were open. 

“Oh,” Jughead said, “hello,” and blinked in surprise. He wished that Betty could see this, to marvel at the fact their baby had eyes, but she wasn’t, and it hurt a little to think about. “Um, I’m your…dad,” he continued, feeling weirdly shy, “your mom is sleeping.” 

The baby looked at him, and he could see shades of himself in every soft slope of her face, but there was Betty’s features too. 

“You’re beautiful,” Jughead said, touching his finger to her face and tracing the shape of it. He followed the length of her arms and her legs, and admired her tiny belly, careful of the piece that was left from her umbilical cord. It was a shocking reminder of where she had come from. 

Jughead wrapped her back up again. The room was pretty chilly, and Betty hadn’t liked being naked in a cold room. He carefully lifted her, mindful of her head, and cradled her in the bend of his elbow, rocking her gently to and fro, but when she started to squeak, he almost dropped her again. 

She was full on crying when Nurse Josie knocked on the door and said, “she’s probably a very hungry little girl.” When Jughead didn’t reply, Josie stepped into the room holding a bottle. “We’ll start her on this. When Betty is conscious and ready, we’ll switch her to the breast, easy as pie.” 

“Sure,” Jughead said, letting himself be led to the chair. “What do I do?” 

“Hopefully, she’ll tell you. Just hold it to her mouth,” Josie instructed, watching as Jughead poked the nipple at her lips. After a heartbeat, she parted them. “This is formula, but Betty will be up and around to feed her soon.” 

She started sucking, and Jughead exhaled sharply. Josie smiled. 

“She’ll eat little but often at first. You’re not going to be sleeping much, Jug.” 

“I haven’t been sleeping much,” Jughead admitted. 

Josie laughed.

 

The next few days passed in a blur. 

Jughead slept beside the baby, him usually in the chair, and she in her bassinet, warm and snug and wrapped tightly her little white baby blanket. He woke confused whenever she cried, always lost in that moment where he simply forgot that his life had changed. He changed her diapers, and made sure she was fed, and tried to keep her alive as best he could. 

He was exhausted, in mind and in body, but he didn’t slow down. If he did, he would crumble and sleep for weeks, and he didn’t have time for that. Betty still hadn’t woken up, but there was no sign of infection. Her doctor thought she was just recovering from a hard eight months. 

Jughead ploughed on, and didn’t let himself feel much of anything, except love for his baby. His daughter. He continually marveled at that, and her, and could hardly believe that this baby, this tiny little thing who already knew how to smile, was partly his. She was partly him. 

He loved feeding her the best, and just as Cheryl promised, she wanted to eat all the time, though she never ate as much as Jughead thought she should. He didn’t mind sitting with her at three in the morning, holding her in the bend of his arm, watching her tiny lips suck at the bottle. 

The very best was after, when he lifted her to his shoulder and softly patted her back. The musical chirp of her tiny burp always made him smile, and then he just had to kiss her rosy cheeks, and her fuzzy little head, and the tiny curls of her fists. He had never in his life loved anybody this much, except maybe Betty, and that was an entirely different kind of love. 

Sometimes, it was very overwhelming. 

One night, the second or third day, Jughead was rocking the baby in rocking chair and felt the sudden urge to make a call. He needed to hear a voice that could understand everything he was feeling. He shifted the baby and pulled his cellphone off of the side table. He pressed a button for speed dial and listened to the rings. He was sure it wouldn’t pick up, that it would go to voicemail. But then, it clicked. 

“Hello?” 

“Dad, hi,” Jughead said, holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder, gently rubbing the baby’s back with his hand, his other arm snug under her bottom. “What are you doing?” 

“Just watching TV. Nothing too exciting.” his dad replied, laughing quietly. “How are you, Jug? How’s the new puppy?” 

“Here,” Jughead admitted, pressing his lips to the top of her head, careful of the soft spot. “Early. It’s been, well, I have no idea, two or three days. Sorry I didn’t call sooner. It was a bit of,” He paused to swallow the lump in his throat, “well, she’s here now. That’s what matters.” 

“A granddaughter,” his dad said fondly. “What’s her name?” 

“Genevieve. Like the Mama’s & Papa’s song.” Jughead looked down at her, smiling. “She’s amazing, dad. She beautiful. And she’s got a full head of black hair.” 

“She must get the hair thing from Betty. You were bald when you were born. You were bald until you were nearly one, actually.” 

Jughead laughed then laughed louder when Genevieve softly burped. Gently, he laid her back down in his arms where he could see her face. “You are going to love her. I’ll text pictures.” He paused, biting his lip. “But I think it’s better if you hold off on visiting.” 

“Rough arrival?” 

“Yeah,” Jughead said, feeling that lump crawl back into his throat. “I mean, things are fine, but it was rough. I thought,” his voice trailed off, and the heat in his eyes spilled over onto his cheeks. “I thought I was going to lose everything, but I got so much more than I was expecting.” 

He could feel his dad’s smile through the phone. “Amazing, isn’t it? Being a father.” 

“Yeah,” he agreed, sweeping a thumb gently over Genevieve’s face where his tears dropped on her skin. “I didn’t think I could love anybody this much, and I barely even know her. I’m afraid of how much I’m going to love her, when I finally discover who she is. I’m terrified.” 

“You’re supposed to be scared. I’d be worried if you weren’t.” 

Jughead laughed abruptly “Then I’m doing good.” 

“You’re doing great,” his dad said, “just like I knew you would. You’re my son, after all. Listen, don’t you worry about Alice. I’ll let her know about the new arrival, and I’ll make sure she gives you some space. I’ll tie her down if I have to. Is that good?” 

“Yes, thanks.” Jughead sniffled. “I love you, dad.” 

“I love you, too, son. I’m so proud of you.” 

“Me too,” Jughead confessed, and he hung up to laughter, feeling stronger and better about things. He dropped his phone on the table then carefully lifted Genevieve, who was fast asleep. They checked on Betty, so beautiful in sleep. Jughead compared them, mother and daughter, side by side, smiling. Both so beautiful. 

Forever beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos & Comments are love!!


End file.
